The Gunners are only out of second place on goal difference but will find themselves TWELVE points behind leaders Chelsea if they lose to them at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Keeper Cech , who will be going back to his former club, is angry at the way that his current side shot themselves in the foot against the visiting Hornets, conceding twice in the opening 13 minutes.

He said: “This was a huge setback because this was the game we wanted to win. We wanted to put ourselves in a better position going into the weekend.

“We had a very bad start. We were unlucky with the first goal when it takes a big deflection and it goes in. Obviously it gave a lot of hope and motivation to Watford’s side because this was something that lifted them up. But then I think we didn’t play well at all.

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"We had chances but the keeper made some very good saves, we hit the bar and we could say we were unlucky in that way. But for the first-half performance, we actually didn’t deserve a little bit of luck."

Cech told Arsenal Player : "It was too much for us to take in the first half and it’s very hard to say why because we were prepared, we were on back-to-back wins, important wins, we had the momentum after the Burnley game and obviously the Southampton [FA Cup] game went completely our way, exactly the way we wanted.

“I always say that at this level you cannot play 80 minutes, or 85. You have to play 90 minutes with full concentration and everybody on top of their game.

Aaron Ramsey limped off with a calf strain on Tuesday night. Granit Xhaka is suspended, Santi Cazorla remains a long-term absentee and Mohammed Elneny is still at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.

But Wenger believes Oxlade-Chamberlain and Maitland-Niles could be capable of coping in central midfield.

He said: “I’ve seen qualities in [Maitland-Niles] that tell me he can be useful in the middle and he can also be a defensive specialist. He’s very good in one on ones and quick in his recoveries, very good in the duels and not scared to play either.

“Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain [has] impressed me in the middle too. He’s a player who can be effective on the flanks and when he is in a more central role.”